Remember this?
The U.S. healthcare catastrophe, and how we repond to it, is our defining Katrina moment.
It's not an act of God. This makes it even worse than Katrina.
It's far, far worse than an act of God. You can't prevent acts of God, but you can prevent man made disasters. The collapse of the U.S. healthcare system, for all but the most affluent, represents the willful and deliberate failure of our government to respond to a crisis of biblical proportions.
The U.S. healthcare catastrophe is a breakdown of the minimal protections the government owes the people, writ large. For 61 years, our government has failed to correct this totally avoidable catastrophe. This is a crime against the American people.
And now those we elect to do our business tell us, they're going home before delivering healthcare to their fellow citizens.
They just want to go home . . .
Mark my words.
Here's what's barreling down on the Democratic leadership in the summer of 2009.
As sure as night follows day, we could soon get our own iconic images of the Summer of 2009. Democratic leadership, Blue Dog Obstructionists, sadly, sadly, sadly, even the president in Martha's Vineyard (though I understand to avoid some of the worst fallout, he will only go for long weekends), leaving town, as Americans die for lack of healthcare.
This could easily turn into a "let them eat cake" moment. And you know what, they'll deserve it. Every Goddamned last one of them.
slinkerwink just sent me an email because she thinks some of you might be confused. Congress has not yet left. We might still be able to help save Democrats from themselves. This is why your calls and emails next week, demanding that the House and the Senate stay in session until the mark ups are finalized are absoloutely essential.
As you know, slinkerwink provides all the important contact numbers in every diary.
EMPTY HALLS. THEY'RE GOING HOME.
photo courtesy of Michael T Ruhl
Don't believe me. I urge you to watch what the experts are saying on this chilling Bill Moyers from last night
MARCIA ANGELL: And I would say, on the politics first, that it is something of a Waterloo. In the sense that if he doesn't get it right he's going to be President for three more years. And the chickens will come home to roost.
BILL MOYERS: How so?
MARCIA ANGELL: So-- well, it can-- the failure can show up before he's out the door. And then he's got a real problem. He was right in his press conference, when he talked about cost as the central issue. And he said, if we don't control cost, not only will the health system continue to disintegrate, but it'll drag the whole economy down with it.
What he has essentially advocated is throwing more money into the current system. He's treating the symptom and he's not treating the underlying cause of our problem. Our problem is that we spend two and a half times as much per person on health care as other advanced countries, the average of other advanced countries. And we don't get our money's worth. So, now he says, okay, this is a terribly inefficient, wasteful system. Let's throw some money into it.
http://www.pbs.org/...
Here's how bad it is folks, and I don't mean to needlessly scare you. But I must.
Yesterday I spoke to the people who assist me in purchasing junk insurance in New York State. The lady told me the upcoming premium rate hikes are among the worst she has ever seen.
She said many plans have premium renewal hikes of 20%. You got that, 20%.
I gulped and shuddered when I heard this.
Though it shouldn't be, because Barack Obama didn't create this catastrophe, the healthcare disaster now belongs to Obama and the Democrats.
It belongs to the Dems we just elected to do our business. The American people will not forgive them for (I just can't wrap my mind around this), going home for vacation, while this Healthcare Katrina is destroying killing American families.
Remote Area Medical set up yesterday in Virgina to provide urgent dental care to American citizens abandoned by our government.
The Virgina National Guard has lent a hand to this humanitarian work, because, once again, our government has turned a blind eye to our despicable reality.
Airmen from the Virginia Air National Guard’s Virginia-Beach-based 203d RED HORSE Squadron and members of the Virginia Defense Force from the Roanoke-based Highland Brigade provide assistance July 23 for the Remote Area Medical Health Clinic in Wise County.
These are the decayed teeth (oh I just want to cry and vomit), of an American citizen abandoned by our governemnt.
One final matter. Henry Waxman has an excellent comparison tool on his website showing the impact of HR 3200 on every Congressional district, you might want to use it when you resume calling your Congresspeople next week.
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